Palestine Press Agency quotes a source who says what happened behind the scenes during the meeting between President Obama and Mahmoud Abbas last Thursday.
According to the source, Obama told Abbas that if a drop of American blood is shed as a result of a US veto, he would hold Abbas personally responsible. Abbas answered that it is up to God.
In response, Abbas threatened to dissolve the PA and leave the international community in charge of the fate of the Palestinian Arabs.
The same source says that a number of Arab countries also tried to convince Abbas not to go forward with the bid, including Morocco, Jordan and the UAE.
The report goes on to say that Abbas conferred with the PLO leadership at the last minute to see if they wanted him to postpone the bid, but he was convinced by the enthusiasm of the crowds at the rallies (that his government engineered to begin with!)
The source also said that Abbas is trying to distance the US from any role in future negotiations.
